Connie’s Pizza is as familiar to most Chicagoans as Mom’s home cooking. And for 34 years, the pizza restaurant has probably subbed for Mom on many a Saturday night.
Moving from its original home on 26th Street to this flagship location not far from Chinatown, it later added restaurants in the suburbs and took its pizza to area supermarkets’ frozen food aisles.
Although the menu offers many other dishes, the four kinds of pizza-thin, deep dish, stuffed and the new frying-pan style-are the main draw.
The “super” deep-dish version we tried ($3.50 for a 7-inch “pizzarella,” $7.60 for a 10-inch and $11.25 for 14-inch) came loaded with cheese and a small amount of a tangy tomato sauce that offset the richness of the mozzarella. The filling included pepperoni and Italian sausage and large chunks of green pepper and onion that still had crispness. Black olives and mushrooms added more flavor. The thick crust came properly browned and crusty on the bottom and edges, and it delivered a great yeasty flavor.
During another visit, we tried the frying-pan style pizza ($10.50 for a 12-inch pie). It arrived hot and steaming in a skillet. The crispy browned crust extended to a lattice pattern over the top and was dotted with a mixture of crushed garlic and oil and an overdose of salt. The basic cheese and tomato filling also is not for the garlic-averse. We chose to add an extra ingredient (20 choices, $1.15 each), spinach. It helped dilute the garlic flavor.
Pasta here comes with a choice of sauces and noodles to mix and match. We tried the fettuccini with meat sauce ($6.95), a huge portion topped with a nice tomato-based sauce with large chunks of sweet Italian sausage throughout. The noodles were a bit stuck together. Other sauce choices include a light marinara, meatballs or Italian sausage, and a broccoli alfredo. In addition to the fettuccini, you can choose from tortellini, ravioli, spaghetti, rigatoni or linguini. Prices range from $6.95 to $10.95 (for the broccoli alfredo).
Another good pasta bet was the mangia lasagna ($6.95), available with a pleasing, slightly sweet tomato sauce or, for an extra charge of $1.10, the same meat sauce that comes with other pastas. Again, it was a huge portion. The wide noodles were stacked with a filling of ricotta cheese and herbs-a lighter-than-usual version of the dish.
Salads include a large garden salad ($1.75, or $5.75 for family size) with crisp iceberg lettuce mixed with a few leaves of romaine, plus onions, tomatoes, black olives, carrots and pepperoncini-almost a meal in itself. The house Italian dressing was typically tart. But the Caesar salad ($4.95) came with not-too-crisp romaine and not-so-fresh croutons. It’s available with grilled chicken breast ($6.95).
To start one meal, we tried a Cajun calamari appetizer ($5.95): a mound of grilled squid with a chili powderlike seasoning and lemon wedges. The squid was chewy and the seasoning was merely one-note.
For dessert, cheesecake was promoted on the menu. We found the special peach cheesecake ($3.95) a bit cloying, although it had slices of fresh peaches hidden within the light-textured cream cheese filling.
Service was friendly and efficient, and families seem to be treated royally. The space is huge and barnlike with 350 seats, but tables are spaced far enough apart for comfort. If Connie’s takes a bit more care with its appetizers and salads, the restaurant will be a three-fork destination in short order. And Mom can continue to rest easy.
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Connie’s Pizza
(Two forks)
2373 S. Archer Ave.
312-326-3443
Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Thur.;
11 a.m.-Midnight Fri.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.
Credit cards: A, M, V
Wheelchair accessible
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Ratings: 4 forks: Top of the class
3 forks: Better than most
2 forks: Very good fare
1 fork: Middle of the road
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members.The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
